Rodrigo Díaz is banished by King Alfonso on the strength of accusations, losing his lands and leaving Vivar with his men, then rebuilds his standing by conquering Valencia and sending the king successive gifts of horses and treasure from his spoils. His restoration comes not from the king's mercy but from the king's calculation that this vassal's victories enrich the crown.
The poem presents the Cid continuing to serve and honor the king who exiled him without cause, framing fidelity to the sovereign as a virtue independent of whether the sovereign acts justly. Grievance is expressed through grief and continued service, not rebellion.
Honor in the poem functions as a quantifiable standing that can be lost through dishonor and rebuilt through deeds, gifts, and legal redress rather than being a fixed personal trait. The Cid's worth rises and falls in public reckoning, measured concretely in vassals gained, wealth won, and daughters' marriages secured.
After his daughters are beaten and abandoned by the Infantes de Carrión, the Cid seeks justice through the king's formal court, demanding return of dowries and swords and then judicial combat, rather than taking private revenge. The mechanism channels personal injury into institutional process where legal victory, not bloodshed on his own terms, restores standing.